Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector employs just over one million people, though only about 25 percent are Saudi nationals, highlighting a significant gap in local workforce depth as the country advances its tourism development. According to Ibrahim Osta, Senior Economic Growth Director at Chemonics International and Professor at George Washington University School of Business, the priority is now to enable Saudi citizens to build specialist skills and progress into leadership roles within the sector.
WTM Spotlight Riyadh 2026 is scheduled from 8 to 10 September 2026 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center (RFECC). The event will unite Saudi and
international tourism leaders, policymakers, educators, and industry experts to discuss strategies for sustainable growth and talent development aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of attracting 150 million visitors and creating over one million tourism jobs by 2030.
The event will feature a Future Stage session, the Talent & Leadership Panel titled ‘One Million Tourism Careers – Delivering Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Vision Beyond 2030,’ moderated by Ibrahim Osta. Panelists include Salem Al Shahrani from the King Salman Gate Project, Raed Alghamdi of Red Sea Global, Fahad Alhuqbani of King Saud University, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, Muhannad Alghanmi from
Qiddiya, and Salman A. Alarifi of the Ministry of Tourism. The session will examine pathways for Saudi nationals to enter tourism careers, establish recognized qualifications, and progress into leadership.
King Salman Gate, a giga-project adjacent to AlMasjid AlHaram, is projected to generate over 300,000 jobs by 2036 across multiple disciplines, including engineering, hospitality, retail, culture, mobility, and technology. Salem Al Shahrani emphasized the need for integrated workforce development covering all these sectors, beyond frontline hospitality roles, to create clear specialist and leadership pathways for Saudi talent.
Danielle Curtis, Regional Portfolio Director for UAE at RX, highlighted Saudi Arabia’s ambition to
expand its tourism sector and stressed the critical role of investing in people to sustain economic benefits. She noted that tourism careers in Saudi Arabia are broadening to include fields such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, digital marketing, immersive technologies, crowd management, event operations, risk and safety, sustainability, bilingual guest service, and cross-cultural intelligence.
WTM Spotlight Riyadh serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration between Saudi Arabia’s tourism ecosystem and global markets. The event aims to support the development of a skilled, locally-driven tourism workforce to ensure the Kingdom’s rapid tourism growth translates into lasting national capability. Chemonics
International, with five decades of sustainable tourism expertise, and RX, an established global event organizer, underpin WTM Spotlight as a strategic launchpad for realizing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 tourism ambitions.
